Lock.



No. 816,792. PATENTED APR. 3, 1906. 0. H. P. GREEN & D. CARPENTER. LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT, 6, 1904.

gom luuunturs wfzxa ww 35g m gw nrrnjn STATES PATEN OLIVER H. P. GREEN AND DELOS CARPENTER, OF ORION, MICHIGAN.

LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed September 6, 1904. Serial No. 223,357.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, OLIVER H. P. GREEN and DELos CARPENTER, citizens of the United States, residing at Orion, county of Oakland, State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locks, of which upon a switchboard placed in any location that may be most convenient for his operation.

While we do not limit our invention to its .application to post-oflice boxes alone, inasmuch as we contemplate the application of our invention to any use for wh1ch it ma be found suitable, we have shown the 100 'ng mechanism in the accompanying drawin s as a plied to the door of apost-ofiice box. It is o vious, however, that any door, as the door of a room or house might be similarly controlled, if desired. The invention might be applied to doors in apartment-houses, for example.

Our invention consists of the construction, eombination,and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the front of a post-oflice box. Fig. 2 is a view in ele' vation looking 'in'the op ositedirec'tion and showin the inner face 0 the door with features 0 the locking mechanism within the box. Fi 3 is an inverted plan view of portions of t e mechanism with parts of the case or supportin -frame removed. Fig. 4 is a view m side e evation, showing arts invertical section. Fig." 5 1s a detai view of the locking-bolt in elevation at right angles to the position of the bolt shown in Fig. 4.

As ap lied to post-oflice boxes our invention is designed more particularly to have the boxes to which our improved locking mechanism is a plied under the control of jthe postal oflicia so that when a party comes for his mail the postal oflicial by simply touching a push-button malyl cause the door of the box to be opened, so t at the party may take the bolt in any suitable manner.

his mail, the door automatically closing when the mail is removed. The desirability and utility of such a mechanism will be readily understood, enabling the party at any time to readily secure his mail without being obliged to carry a key and without requiring an unneclessary steps on the part of the posta ofiic1a s.

It is well understood that combinationlocks, for exam le, are commonly employed upon post o 'ce boxes; but with boxes equipped with our improved mechanism the party would have no need to stop to work a combination-lock, while his mail would be at all times under the safeguard of the postal ofiicial.

Our invention contemplates such a construction and arrangement of the mechanism that the postal official may open any given box equip ed with the mechanism without having to cave his place. It will readily be understood that where post-oflice boxes are eguilpped with such a mechanism the delivery 0 t email is greatly facilitated. Where a post-ofliceis equipped with our improved mechanism, the 0 ice may be saved, oftentimes, considerable expense in extra help that would otherwise be required.

- In earr ing out our mvention, 0. represents a post-o ce box, and b the door thereof, which may be operated as desired. This door is hinged at one side thereof, as indicatedat c, a spring-hinge being preferably employed, the sprin (Z serving to close the door after a part has removed the mail from the box. T e door is held in locked position by means of a bolt e, held in reoi rocatory engagement in the up box, for example, in any suita e manner, the end of the bolt enga 'ng-a latch f, attached to the door. The bolt, owever, may engage the door 'to hold it in locked position in any suitable manner. tion by guide-brackets, (indicated at g 9,) the stem of the bolt bein provided with a spring h, the tension of whic tends to hold the bolt er part of t e' The bolt is shown held in posiin locked position. To withdraw the bolt e from locked osition,we employ a bell-crank 'lever 'i, whic may be fulcrumed in any suitable manner, as to a bracket j, as indicated at k; We do not limit ourselves to any particular shape of the bell-crank, as an lever may be employed within the seo e 0 our invention adapted to accomplis ;the work- .de-

signed. One end of the lever is engiaged with or exam:

pie, the bolt may be constructed with a lat eral elongated recess (indicated at Z) to receive the end of the lever 'i. One end of the lever i is constructed in the nature of an armature m. Adjacent to said armature is located an electromagnet, (indicated at 12,) the wires of which may lead to any suitable switch oard.

In Fig. 3 we have shown in diagram an electric circuit leading to the said magnet, said circuit provided with a battery q and a switch 1. The switch 7 may obviously be in the nature of a push-button or otherwise, as may be desired.

l/Vithin the box is a spring 8, normally bearing against the inner face of the door, so that when the bolt e is withdrawn from locked position the spring 8 will throw the door slightly closed position.

aiiar or out of closed position. The spring (2, a ready described, is preferably arranged so as not to exert its tension upon the closed door, the contacting end of the spring d being arranged at a slight distance from the outer face of the door. The spring .9 Wl'BIl free to exert its tension will throw the door sufficiently ajar to bringit into contact with the spring d. The party seeking his mail may t len readily grasp the door and open it wide to remove his mail, thereby obviously increasing the tension of the spring at, so that when he releases the door the tension of the spring (1 will throw the door into closed and locked position. The spring 8, it will be understood, is weaker than the spring d and need be only of sufficient strength to throw the door ajar, so that the party seeking his mail may readily. open the door more widely, the door being thrown by the spring 8 out of position for the bolt 6 to reengage the door .until it is thrown back fully into normally The spring (1 being of greater strength in its operation in closing the door will readily overcome the lesser tension of'the spring 8.

We have shown but a single box equipped with our improved locking mechanism; but

it will readily be understood that our inven tion contemplates e nipping any desired number of POSlZ-eOfilCG oxes therewith, each having its inde endent electrical connection with the switc board. The switches upon the switchboard: may be operated to correspond with the respective boxes, so that the operator when a given box is called can readily-open the box simply by manipulating the corresponding button or switch upon the board. In this manner there is no locking mechanism accessible from the exterior or outer face of the boxes.

The locking mechanism is preferably supported upon a .case, (indicated at t,) which may be secured on the inside of the box, preferably above the door.

arenas What we claim as our invention is- 1.. A locking mechanism com rising a casing, a door provided with a latc on its inner face, a lbcking-bolt within the casing to en gage said latch, a bell-crank lever en aged at one end with said bolt to actuate t e bolt,

the opposite end of the bell-crank constitutcircuit leading to said magnet, and means to open and close said circuit.

3. A locking mechanism, comprising a casing, a door, a locking-bolt supported in the casing to lock the door, a bell-crank lever engaged at one end with said bolt to actuate the bolt, and constructed to form an armature at t1 e opposite end thereof, an electrical circuit, an electromagnet in said circuit to actuate said armature, and a switch to open and close said circuit. 4. A locking mechanism comprising a casing, a door 7 rovided with a latch, a lockingbolt on the inside of the'casing to engage the latch and lock the door in closed-position, a lever engaged at one end with saidbolt to actuate said bolt, the opposite end of the lever constituting an armature, and electrical mechanism accessible from the inner side of the door for actuating said lever.

5. A locking mechanism, comprising in combination -a casing, a door, a locking-bolt located on the inside of the casing to engage the door and lock the door in closed position, a lever engaged at one end with'said bolt to actuate the bolt, a switch accessible from the inner side of the door, and electrical mechanism controlled by said switch to actuate said lever.

6; A locking mechanism comprising in combination a casing, a spring-actuated door, a locking-bolt located on the inside of the casing to control the operation of the door, a lever engaged at one end with said bolt to actuate the bolt, and constituting an armature at its opposite end, and electrical mechanism to actuate said lever.

In testimony whereof We have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OLIVER H. P. GREEN. DELOS CARPENTER.

Witnesses:

AeNEs Knowrns, EDWIN W. Towns. 

